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Amarnath Yatra suspended as heavy rain lashes Jammu and Kashmir
No convoy movement to be allowed towards base camps Baltal and Nunwan from Bhagwati Nagar, Jammu, on July 31, says divisional commissioner
Jammu and Kashmir's divisional commissioners on Wednesday suspended the Amarnath Yatra on both Pahalgam and Baltal routes as a precautionary measure after continuous heavy rainfall over the area.
“Due to the heavy rains in the Yatra area, the movement of pilgrims from Base camps has been affected. Therefore, it has been decided that no convoy movement shall be allowed towards the base camps Baltal and Nunwan from Bhagwati Nagar Jammu on 31st July, 2025,” said the divisional commissioner of Jammu, Ramesh Kumar.
Pilgrims would be kept informed about the situation and related updates, Kumar added.
The divisional commissioner of Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri also informed that due to heavy continuous rains since early morning on July 30, the pilgrimage has not been allowed on the tracks from both the base camps Baltal and Chandanwari.
The Jammu and Kashmir department of information and public relations (DIPR) also took to X to announce the suspension.
Before the warning was issued, the Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage continued from Jammu amid heavy rains as another batch of more than 1,300 pilgrims left on Wednesday for the twin base camps in the south Kashmir Himalayas.
The Amarnath Yatra resumed earlier this month and is scheduled to conclude on August 9, coinciding with the Hindu festival of Raksha Bandhan. The annual pilgrimage was also halted earlier on July 17, due to similar weather disturbances.
It commenced this year on July 3, and nearly 4 lakh pilgrims have so far visited the cave shrine, said the DIPR.
Located in South Kashmir, at an altitude of approximately 3,888 metres, the sacred shrine is flocked by devotees every year. Pilgrims travel to the shrine through either of the two routes, the traditional 48-kilometre Pahalgam route and the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on July 27 flagged off the first batch of pilgrims for the Budha Amarnath Yatra from Jammu, officially starting the annual pilgrimage to the shrine of Lord Shiva in the region, reported news agency ANI.
“More than a thousand people have just set out for the Budha Amarnath Yatra. The Jammu and Kashmir administration has made excellent arrangements for the Amarnath Yatra,” said Sinha as he spoke at the flag-off event.
(With inputs from HT correspondents and ANI)
